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Australia welcomed Bagnaia and the other MotoGP riders with sunshine, although it looks like the good weather won't last too long. Pecco's good mood, however, seems stable and it couldn't be otherwise after having turned the situation around in Indonesia. With the victory and Martin's crash, the Italian is now back at the top of the standings and 18 points ahead of the Spaniard.
“It was great, absolutely - he recalls last Sunday – it was a difficult period and finally being able to win again with this performance, starting from P13, is fantastic. What I’m very happy about also is the feeling with the bike. Was incredible, I was very happy with the braking, the grip. Compared to the Saturday, it was so much better and it’s a great push for the rest of the season."
Would you have thought it after the initial difficulties?
“I wasn’t expecting to be the leader again. Because I was doing a really good job, third already in three laps, and I was seeing that Jorge was always in the same position. But then he crashed and I just thought to be calm, I knew that I was managing the rear tyre perfectly and I just tried to be closer to Maverick and overtake him for the win."
Now Phillip Island awaits you.
“This is a particular track, it seems that tomorrow there will be little wind, but on Saturday we will return to normal with a temperature of 19°, then on Sunday the typical Australian weather: 12°, wind at 50 km/h and rain, everything will become very difficult. But I like riding here, it's one of my favourite circuits, with very fast corners."
Did Japan's unstable weather prepare you for Australia?
“For me it's even more difficult here, because the conditions can change from one minute to the next. However, I am ready and at the moment more focused on starting the weekend well and being competitive."
Battles are usually the order of the day at Phillip Island.
“I think last year it was pretty clear how difficult it is to pull away here. I thought it was possible after practice, but both Martin and I tried, but without success. There's no point in pushing too hard, also because the tyres are a problem, like Turn 4. You have to be careful, it will be a race in which you will have to control and then try to do something in the final laps. Either you're lucky to open a big gap in a few laps, or it gets all difficult. For me it will be a race with a big group."
This is Stoner's track.
“He had incredible instinct, he always made the difference. I remember a practice session in the wet in which he came in, did 3 laps and was 2 seconds faster than the second. After 45 minutes the others had gotten closer, then Casey went back in and was 2 seconds faster than everyone. He proved to be the only fast one with the Ducati and when he moved to Honda everything was easy for him. He had incredible talent and instinct, so he could pull away in this race."
